Paso Finos a combination of grace, poise and personality

Paso Fino stallion Prometido de Selecta runs around a training ring at Ropa Ranch, owned by Rosanne Gmuer Wednesday afternoon, May 22, 2013. Gmuer has been a Paso breeder for over 40 years and was once offered $800,000 for Prometido de Selecta who is now 19 years old and has sired between 300-400 babies over the years. "What am I going to do with that kind of money? I would have my horse any more," Gmuer said. He is still in demand and breeds about 25 times a year.

Doug Engle/ Staff photographer

By Carlos E. MedinaCorrespondent

Published: Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 6:39 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 6:39 p.m.

In the 1980s, then Chicago-resident Linda Levy bought a Paso Fino stallion after she found the breed’s smooth gait agreeable to her bad back.

A few years later, Levy was in Ocala, immersed in the breeding and showing of Paso Finos. It’s a similar story for Rosanne Gmuer, whose first Paso Fino was a stallion she bought for her children in the 1970s. Her farm, Ranco Ropa in Ocala, is now home to more than 50 horses and is run by her grandson.

Levy, who owns Next Episode Farm in Ocala, still has that first stallion, El Sultan de Favorito, who is now 34 years old. The venerable horse roams free on the property and has taken on the role of mentor on the farm.

“I got him when he was 3, and he looks like he’s only 15. He babies the young horses until they get to be about 2 years old, then he doesn’t want to have anything to do with them,” said Levy, now 70, who recently decided to stop breeding Paso Finos.

In the decades since she first became acquainted with the breed, she has seen the Paso Fino breed in the United States improve exponentially.

“Each time you go to a show, the horses get more animated and more showy. They are just more beautiful than when I started,” Levy said.

In particular, the upper end of the breed has vastly expanded. In Paso Fino culture, the gait is the thing. The best of the best are judged on how delicately and precisely the horse moves. The “fino” movement is the pinnacle of the breed. Some of the top fino-gaited horses barely move forward while furiously stepping in an even four-beat motion. Any break in the timing, which requires the horse to precisely lift and drop each leg from equal heights, is grounds for disqualification.

The steps can be so fast that the horses travel over a sounding board, which amplifies the steps and allows the judges to score the gait.

“At a show, the faster the movement and crisper the sound, the more the crowd gets excited and begins to yell,” said Gmuer, whose stallion Prometido de Selecta is a fino.

Prometido de Selecta is one of the top 10 Paso Fino stallions in the country.

“I got him from Puerto Rico, but he is Colombian,” Gmuer said.

The breed developed in those two countries from horses brought over by Spanish explorers. The gait is genetic and is not enhanced by devices or other techniques.

At different speeds the Paso Fino’s gait remains smooth and doesn’t jar the rider as much, making the breed a favorite for trail riding. They are used in western disciplines and were used in cattle ranching. The first Paso Finos introduced to the U.S. were used by cowboys.

The breed’s flowing manes and tails and their statuesque posture have helped make them a favorite. And while their grace and poise is appealing to the eye, the breed also comes with a docile personality.

“That first Paso Fino we had, he would wait until all the other horses had eaten before he would go to a bucket. He was so calm and gentle. I said, ‘We’re going to get rid of everything else and keep him,’ ” Gmuer said.

For Levy, that personality is why she has stuck with Paso Finos for so long.

“This is the longest I have ever lived in one place in my life. It’s because of these horses,” she said. “They give you the sense that they have tremendous pride, but they are so willing to do what you ask them to do. It like they really want to make you happy.”

<p>In the 1980s, then Chicago-resident Linda Levy bought a Paso Fino stallion after she found the breed's smooth gait agreeable to her bad back.</p><p>A few years later, Levy was in Ocala, immersed in the breeding and showing of Paso Finos. It's a similar story for Rosanne Gmuer, whose first Paso Fino was a stallion she bought for her children in the 1970s. Her farm, Ranco Ropa in Ocala, is now home to more than 50 horses and is run by her grandson.</p><p>Levy, who owns Next Episode Farm in Ocala, still has that first stallion, El Sultan de Favorito, who is now 34 years old. The venerable horse roams free on the property and has taken on the role of mentor on the farm.</p><p>“I got him when he was 3, and he looks like he's only 15. He babies the young horses until they get to be about 2 years old, then he doesn't want to have anything to do with them,” said Levy, now 70, who recently decided to stop breeding Paso Finos.</p><p>In the decades since she first became acquainted with the breed, she has seen the Paso Fino breed in the United States improve exponentially.</p><p>“Each time you go to a show, the horses get more animated and more showy. They are just more beautiful than when I started,” Levy said.</p><p>In particular, the upper end of the breed has vastly expanded. In Paso Fino culture, the gait is the thing. The best of the best are judged on how delicately and precisely the horse moves. The “fino” movement is the pinnacle of the breed. Some of the top fino-gaited horses barely move forward while furiously stepping in an even four-beat motion. Any break in the timing, which requires the horse to precisely lift and drop each leg from equal heights, is grounds for disqualification.</p><p>The steps can be so fast that the horses travel over a sounding board, which amplifies the steps and allows the judges to score the gait.</p><p>“At a show, the faster the movement and crisper the sound, the more the crowd gets excited and begins to yell,” said Gmuer, whose stallion Prometido de Selecta is a fino.</p><p>Prometido de Selecta is one of the top 10 Paso Fino stallions in the country.</p><p>“I got him from Puerto Rico, but he is Colombian,” Gmuer said.</p><p>The breed developed in those two countries from horses brought over by Spanish explorers. The gait is genetic and is not enhanced by devices or other techniques.</p><p>At different speeds the Paso Fino's gait remains smooth and doesn't jar the rider as much, making the breed a favorite for trail riding. They are used in western disciplines and were used in cattle ranching. The first Paso Finos introduced to the U.S. were used by cowboys.</p><p>The breed's flowing manes and tails and their statuesque posture have helped make them a favorite. And while their grace and poise is appealing to the eye, the breed also comes with a docile personality.</p><p>“That first Paso Fino we had, he would wait until all the other horses had eaten before he would go to a bucket. He was so calm and gentle. I said, 'We're going to get rid of everything else and keep him,' ” Gmuer said.</p><p>For Levy, that personality is why she has stuck with Paso Finos for so long.</p><p>“This is the longest I have ever lived in one place in my life. It's because of these horses,” she said. “They give you the sense that they have tremendous pride, but they are so willing to do what you ask them to do. It like they really want to make you happy.”</p>